Characterization of Lydia Bennet

Characterization of Lydia BennetIn Pride and Prejudice, the character of Lydia Bennet is characterized as someone who is immature, critical, and foolish. Lydia is a young, spoiled teenager who is accustomed to getting what she wants and is a favorite of Mrs. Bennet. Through over-indulgence on the part of her mother and neglect on the part of her father, she has been allowed to grow to be "vain, ignorant, idle and uncontrolled.” This characterization is revealed through both direct and indirect characterization. Through the use of description, dialogue, and actions the overall meaning of the novel is conveyed.

Lydia is characterized as being a very immature young girl. Lydia goes shopping with her sister and tells everyone that she wanted to treat them all to lunch, but they would have to lend her the money because she spent all of hers. She then continues to say, “I have bought this bonnet. I do not think it is very pretty; but I thought I might as well buy it as not. I shall pull it to pieces as soon as I get home, and see if I can make it up any better.” She also says that there were much uglier ones in the shop and that this one is tolerable. This statement shows that Lydia is very immature in how she spends her money and is a spendthrift. Lydia Bennet's dialogue shows that she is very critical of other people. Jane and Elizabeth tell the waiter that he doesn’t need to stay. Lydia then laughs and says, “Aye, that is just like your formality and discretion. You thought the waiter must not hear, as if he cared! I dare say he often hears worse things said than I am going to say.” She then says that he is very ugly and has such a long chin and that she’s glad he’s gone. Lydia also says that her news about Wickham is too good for the waiter. Elizabeth then tells Lydia that Wickham is safe because Mary King is gone to Liverpool. Jane says, “But I hope there is no strong attachment on either side.” Lydia says, “I am sure there is not on his. I will answer for...

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

...﻿Lydia Bravo-Taylor
SOC 400
11/28/12
The Problems with Postmodernism
Many theorists claim that we are now living in a postmodern society. What does this mean exactly? While theorists try to explain it, it seems that it is still unclear to them as what postmodernism really means. Postmodernism is the idea that our society is distinct from the past, and means “after modern”. Postmodernists aren't concerned with describing the social system, except where it breaks down. They tend to have a more philosophical approach to sociology, and discuss how socialization is fragmented due to more things being virtual and artificial/fake. However, it is increasingly also about individualism and localism. Essentially, postmodernists claim that we broke off from the modern era, and now live in a postmodern era. Many social changes have occurred but none of them warrant a break from modernity. While certain qualitative elements have definitely changed over time, we do not need to have a break off or label this part of history as postmodern. One thing that has changed is the way sociologists, or critical theorists, look at things. The transformation of society has been gradual. While there are more things to measure electronically, like social networks on the internet and how technology has changed our lives, this era does not deserve to be broken off from the modern era. The social change over the past century doesn't constitute a transition from modernity because while...

...Characterization
“A Worn Path” is a short fiction about Phoenix, an old lady that goes for a long trip from the country to the town, to pick up medicine for her grandson. During this long trip she passes through many risks, and all her characteristics will help her to get out of the situations. An interesting story, which exists between direct and indirect presentation, many descriptions about the protagonist and with an end that allow us to use our imagination.
The story is about an interesting old lady and her name is Phoenix. At the begging, with a direct presentation, the narrator describes the protagonist, “Far out in the country there was an old Negro woman with her head tied in a red rag, coming along a path through the pinewoods” (Welty 223). She was an old and small woman that walks side to side in her steps, with a small cane made by an umbrella (Welty 223). “She wore a dark striped dress reaching down her shoe tops,” and she also wore unlaced shoes (Welty 223). She has blue eyes and a golden color underneath her forehead (Welty 223). Another characteristic of the protagonist is that she likes to talk to herself or with animals. Many times during the story she talked to herself, such as talking with the buzzard, or with the scarecrow (Welty 225). The description that the narrator made about Phoenix show many similarities from the symbol of a Phoenix. The symbol is a bird that is reborn from the fire, which means long life, and invincibility. The...

...﻿Vivian Lundy
English 12 AP
Mrs. Murphy
December 9, 2013
Desperate Dames:
An Analysis of the Satire of Mrs. Bennet and LydiaBennet in Pride and Prejudice
All women of the world know what it feels like to have that longing to be married. This desire is exactly what drove Mrs. Bennet and LydiaBennet to act the way they do. In Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, the author utilizes the crazy and ridiculous acts of Mrs. Bennet and her daughter LydiaBennet to satire the desperate acts women will go through for marriage.
In the beginning, as soon as she hears news of a new, rich, handsome man move into town, Mrs. Bennet constantly bugs her husband about meeting the new man, since her husband must first introduce himself for her daughters to be able to interact with the gentleman. Constantly worrying about her neighbors’ daughters engaging with the fellow first, she nags Mr. Bennet to do so out of her obsessiveness to have her daughters have a better chance of marrying, already introducing Mrs. Bennet as a fanatic mother and satirizing the focus women have on marriage. Later on, a country ball takes place where the new man, Mr. Charles Bingley, attends and meets Mrs. Bennet’s oldest daughter, Jane Bennet. At the ball, Bingley shows a particular favoring for the eldest daughter and dances...

...Characterization:
There are generally two types of characterization, explicit (direct)
and implicit (indirect) characterization.
Explicit characterization: A character is portrayed by direct description of his
outward appearance and by directly naming his human and mental qualities or abilities.
Implicit characterization: A character is portrayed by what he does or by describing his
environment. From what he does or from his surroundings one draws conclusions as to what kind of character it is.
What is Characterization?
Characterization is the process of establishing a character’s personality in a narrative or drama.
This can be done in a number of ways, through a character’s actions, speech, appearance,
thoughts and what the other characters in the narrative or drama say or think about him.
There are two types of characterization: explicit characterization and implicit characterization.
Explicit characterization is when the story narrator describes the characters himself, for
instance describing in detail the color of a character’s eyes, or directly specifying whether he is honest or deceitful. Implicit characterization on the other hand is when the audience is left to deduce the character’s personality through his actions, speech, thoughts, appearance and interaction with other...

...Characters are the people who inhabit a story. They must be motivated, consistent, and plausible to be classified as true characters. In "Everyday Use" and "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall," the authors explore of characterization. Both of the short stories have stock characters such as Grandma Dee from "Everyday Use and John from "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall," but the characters that spark the most interest are the round characters such as Dee and Mrs. Weatherall.
In "Everyday Use" Grandma Dee can be classified as a stock character because she is never really introduced but her presence is felt through out the story because of the quilts that Mrs. Johnson promises Maggie as a gift when she is married. Her life as a strong, Black, southern woman during a time where our nation was still culturally divided and race defined all people symbolizes the strength and heritage she passed on to her family.
Another example of a stock character is John from Katherine Potter's "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall." John is Granny's Husband that she married after George left her at the altar. He exhibits a man that is loving and respectful. He graciously raised a child that is not biologically his because loves Granny. Unfortunately, for him Granny feeling are not the same because she is still dwelling on George leaving her at the altar and the loss of her first child Hapsy.
Both literary works have round characters as well. Alice Walker crafts Dee Johnson in...

...﻿Silly Mrs. Bennet? I beg to differ…
It has been alluded to by many scholars that Mrs. Bennet is simply a figment of Jane Austen’s comical imagination. That she is, simply put, a silly character. In order for us to agree or disagree with these scholars, we must first decide the make up of a silly character. If it is merely the fact that we can laugh at her, mock her nuances and ridicule her as we get to know her, then the Bennet mother fits the bill perfectly. She is after all, a narrow-minded and short tempered mother who’s “business of her life was to get her daughters married.” But is such a woman, who dedicates her life to the well-being of her daughters, knowing that without marriage her daughters are likely to be victims of entailment, as silly as we’d like to think? Or is she just a loving mother with “poor nerves.”
If you were to study Mrs. Bennet’s personality chart you would realize that her poor nerves are always in consistent relation to her negative self-appraisals. When a lady with such a small reservoir of self-control, attacks or is attacked at matters concerning her esteem, she is bound to behave impulsively. Lo and behold the first aspect of her “silly” nature. She means no harm to her own family but oozes of suspicion, jealousy, envy and paranoia towards others. Changing her mind towards the nature of people, like a light switch turns on and off, the mother of five daughters is known to be unbearable by most...

...The Characterization of Christabel
Critics from around the world have put insight into the many ways that “[t]he lovely lady, Christabel” can be characterized (Coleridge 23). Samuel Taylor Coleridge uses many words to describe Christabel, but with literary analysis of “Christabel,” provided by scholars, she can be characterized at a deeper level than the way she is described in the text of the poem. Her description plays role in allowing the reader to relate with her quickly and be able to learn more about Christabel as the poem continues. Deeper meaning to her characterization is portrayed throughout the plot of the poem as she is entranced and deceived by Geraldine. Even though the poem is incomplete, a thorough understanding of Christabel’s character can be derived from what Coleridge has completed. The characterization of Christabel is explained through Christianity, “the fall of innocence” and purity (Radley 69), and “the transition from “innocence” to “experience” (Harding 40).”
Christianity plays a major role throughout the poem to characterize Christabel. “Christabel herself personifies moral innocence.” She “appears well-intentioned, virginal, and naïve” (Ulmer 378). These qualities go along with those of a Christian who has not been exposed to sin and still has purity. “Christabel is repeatedly characterized “as a sinless child… “Christabel suffers innocently, like Christ [;]” her “beauty has a particular...